Baseball park

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Baseball park or Ballpark is the term used for the field of play in the game of baseball, along with any spectator seating areas that may have been constructed around the field.

Although there are strict rules about the layout of the infield, there is a significant amount of flexibility in the shape and size of the playing area. Baseball has this in common with its distant cousin cricket, and is distinctive from "goal" games such as football and basketball, in which the entire playing area is fixed in size.

Because of this flexibility, there are all sorts of variations in ballparks, from different lengths to (and heights of) the fences, to uneven playing surfaces, to massive or miniscule amounts of foul territory, to quirks such as flagpoles, monuments, and even trains in the outfield.

The variations occur in the shape of the outfield and the foul ground, and are the result of two factors: (1) the shape of the property on which the ballpark was constructed; and (2) the specifications and the whims of the designers. Especially at the professional level, the former was more of a factor in the early years of the game, where a ballpark was typically confined to a single city block; the latter is more common in modern times, as the ballpark building boom of the 1990s and early 2000s was driven mostly by nostalgia and marketing, rather than by real estate limitations.

In order to prevent "cheap" home runs, ballparks at particular levels of play usually specify a minimum distance from home plate to the outfield fences, along with recommendations for the size of the foul ground. Generally, the higher up the skill level, the deeper the minimum dimensions must be. In the major leagues, a rule was passed in 1958 ( official rules) that compelled any new fields built after that point to have a minimum distance of 325 feet from home plate to the fences in left and right field, and 400 feet to center. Despite this rule (which was passed to prevent any more situations like the Los Angeles Coliseum), the modern parks have sometimes received "special dispensation" to skirt these rules somewhat. The older parks such as Fenway Park were "grandfathered".

Contents 1 Dimensions 2 Types of baseball parks 2.1 Wooden ballparks 2.2 Jewel Box Parks 2.3 Multi-purpose stadiums 2.4 Modern stadiums 2.5 Indoor parks 2.6 Retractable roof parks 2.7 Retro-classic ballparks 3 Unique features and quirks of current major league parks 4 See also

[edit] Dimensions

Aside from the strict dimensions of the infield, and the minimum distance requirements to the fences (which, as noted, are not always strictly enforced), almost anything goes. At present, most existing parks have generally standardized lengths to the fences, though no two stadiums are alike. In the past, especially before the rules became more restrictive, the dimensions varied widely, typically due to geographic constraints. The Polo Grounds in New York City, where the New York Giants played, was well known for having a very short right field "porch" which was only 258 feet from home plate. Left field was not much better, at about 280, with an upper deck overhang. In contrast, the deepest part of center field in the batchtub-shaped Polo Grounds was nearly 500 feet from home plate. Fence heights also vary, from 3 to 4 feet all the way up to Fenway Park's "Green Monster", which is 37 feet high. In ballparks of the past, some in-play scoreboards and high fences reached 50 to 60 feet, whereas a few outfields were even lined with hedges rather than normal fences or walls. The Metrodome, the current home of the Minnesota Twins, has a 23 foot right field "fence" which is actually a relatively thin blue plastic sheet covering folded-up football seats. It is often called the "Baggie" or the "Hefty bag". Starting with Yankee Stadium in 1923 (as an actual footrace track) and now present in all ballparks, there is a gravel (or in some parks, rubberized track surface) area roughly 10 feet wide which runs all about the perimeter of the field, called the "warning track". As the name indicates, this track is intended to warn fielders (especially outfielders) that they are approaching a boundary wall of the playing field.

[edit] Types of baseball parks

[edit] Wooden ballparks

The original major league parks were large wooden ballparks with wooden seats. There was usually only one deck, which was sometimes topped by a flat roof, sometimes with a small upper tier. The outfield was bordered by tall walls or fences covered with advertisements, sometimes fronted with bleacher seats ("bleaching boards"). Wood was a short-life but inexpensive material, and there was not necessarily any expectation that professional baseball was a long-term business.

However, the use of wood as the primary material set up a potentially major problem, especially as baseball continued to thrive and the wooden stands aged and dried. Many parks caught on fire, and some were levelled completely. This problem, along with the realization that professional baseball was here to stay, were major factors that drove the change to steel and concrete construction. Some famous wooden parks, such as the Polo Grounds, burned to the ground and were rebuilt in fire-resistant materials. Others were simply replaced. Their replacements often lasted many decades and (retrospectively) came to be called "Jewel Boxes". The last of the wooden ballparks in the major leagues was Robison Field, which was closed in 1920.

Other examples of wooden ballparks include Huntington Avenue Grounds, South End Grounds, Hilltop Park, Bennett Park, Exposition Park, West Side Park and South Side Park.

[edit] Jewel Box Parks

The parks built or rebuilt in concrete and steel after the days of the wooden ballpark are now known as the Jewel Box Parks. These parks are said by many to embody the golden age of baseball, and are known for their green seats, large roofs, intimate feel, and major use of exposed steel, brick, and stone. Although other sports, such as football and soccer were often played at these sites, the focus was on baseball, unlike the later multi-purpose parks, and so the seats were generally angled in a configuration suitable for baseball. The "retro" ballparks built in the 1990s and beyond are an attempt to capture the feel of the Jewel Box Parks.

Many (as well as their wooden predecessors) have plaques or monuments on their sites. Remnants of some Jewel Boxes still exist, such as Forbes Field, League Park and Braves Field. The only Jewel Boxes still in use for major league baseball are Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Yankee Stadium, although some may argue about the latter after its 1970s renovations.

Other examples of Jewel Boxes include the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Comiskey Park and Tiger Stadium.

[edit] Multi-purpose stadiums

From the 60's to the 90's, baseball was dominated by multi-purpose stadiums. Also known as "concrete donuts" or "giant ashtrays", they were usually tall circular or square structures made of plain concrete (one notable exception is Shea Stadium). The parks were built to hold baseball as well as football, soccer, and other sports. The seats were not angled correctly for baseball, and the seating capacity was so large that many (especially Cleveland's Municipal Stadium) looked empty during baseball games, which don't draw as many people per game as the other tenants. While cost effective to put all teams in one park, these problems eventually caused the parks to become unfashionable.

Some multi-purpose parks, such as Dolphin Stadium, Memorial Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium and the Oakland Coliseum, began as solely a football stadium. Others, such as Candlestick Park and Cleveland Municipal Stadium, began as solely a baseball park.

A subset of the multipurpose stadiums were the so called cookie cutter stadiums which were all very similar in design. They featured a completely circular or nearly circular design, football fields that were placed home plate to center field over the baseball field, tall outer structures and often used astroturf. The first of these stadiums was RFK Stadium. It was followed during the 1960's and 1970's by Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Busch Stadium II, Three Rivers Stadium, and Veterans Stadium. The Astrodome and The Kingdome are also often considered part of the cookie cutter subset due to their design conforming to the stadard with the added addition of a roof. Shea Stadium is also often included in the cookie cutter subset due to the original design specifications calling for Shea Stadium to have been circular. Shea shares much of its remaining design characteristics with the standard cookie cutter parks. All of these stadiums have either been replaced or in the case of RFK Stadium and Shea Stadium there are plans to replace them with sport specific parks in the near future.

[edit] Modern stadiums

While most teams turned to multi-purpose parks, some instead chose to build baseball-only parks. While these modern stadiums went away from the Jewel Box Parks, and incorporated aspects from the multi-purpose parks (such as seating colors other than green and fairly plain concrete exteriors), they had a more elegant feel to them, and, more importantly, were built for baseball. While the multi-purpose parks have become all but extinct, some modern parks, such as Dodger Stadium and Kauffman Stadium, have been hailed for aging beautifully over the decades. Modern parks can be often be identified by cantilevered upper decks, which forgo the larger roofs of Jewel Box Parks with steel columns for smaller roofs that only cover the top rows.

In the 70's, Yankee Stadium, a Jewel Box Park, was renovated, and architecturally turned into a modern park, although the stadium's historical roots cause it to still be considered a Jewel Box Park.

Examples include Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, Kauffman Stadium, U.S. Cellular Field, and Yankee Stadium (post-renovation).

[edit] Indoor parks

Although mostly multi-purpose parks, a unique and important type of ballpark is the indoor park. Mostly domes, these parks were covered with a fixed roof. Reasons for this varied. The Astrodome was built to escape parching heat, while the Kingdome was built to escape constant rains. There was little to no outside light, and this caused one of the most distinguishing aspects of an indoor park, the use of turf rather than grass.

A park of note is Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The park was designed with a large tower over it, cables coming down to connect to the large oval center of the roof which was supposed to raise when the weather outside was pleasant. However, it never worked, and so what was supposed to be a retractable roof park became an indoor one.

Examples incluse the Astrodome, the Kingdome, Olympic Stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and Tropicana Field

[edit] Retractable roof parks

As mentioned before, the indoor parks were built for reasons. However, as multi-purpose parks became unfashionable, so did the drab indoor parks. Therefore, retractable roof parks were born. These parks allowed shelter from the elements, but could be opened on a nice day. To be able to support the roof, most of these parks were closed in on all sides, although the walls feature openings or windows. Because the roofs need to go somewhere when retracted, most retractable roof parks have a large structure on one side of the park itself, which is used for things such as retail or parking. Notable exceptions include Rogers Centre and Miller Park, whose roofs fold upon themselves in a way that takes up little space when open. The roofs often still hang over the sides of the park, and cast large shadows on the field or stands. This is countered at Miller Park by large panes of glass under the roof.

Retractable roof parks can either be utilitarian and unadorned, such as Chase Field, or infused with retro elements, such as Minute Maid Park

Examples include Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Safeco Field, Minute Maid Park, and Miller Park

[edit] Retro-classic ballparks

In 1992, Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in Baltimore as the new home of the Baltimore Orioles. Going in a different direction than the multi-purpose and modern stadiums, Camden Yards harkened back to the old Jewel Box Parks. This began the building of a series of parks known as the retro-classic or simply retro ballparks.

The retro parks shifted back to the green seats, use of exposed steel, brick, and stone, and quirky dimensions and features. The 325/400 foot rule mentioned above has been rarely enforced during this time.

Teams with multi-purpose parks longed for the beautiful and classic look, and began systematically demolishing them and moving to either retro or retractable roof parks. Since Camden Yards opened, 2/3rds of all major league teams have opened new ballparks, each of which contain unique features. Also, each of them were made to be baseball-only.

U.S. Cellular Field was the last modern park, and was built a year before Camden Yards was built. Just missing the retro movement, it was now viewed as obsolete, and a series of renovations were done, including the changing from a centilever to a flat roof with columns, and the change from a symetrical outfield to an asymetrical one.

Examples include Camden Yards, Coors Field, Ameriquest Field in Arlington, AT&T Park, Comerica Park, and Busch Stadium III

[edit] Unique features and quirks of current major league parks

• Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) - The aforementioned 37-foot Green Monster — which includes a field-level scoreboard and an elevated ladder (which has no use because of the new seats on top) — leads to unpredicatable ricochets, as do the oddly-angled boundaries in right and center field. Fenway used to have a mound of dirt in left field that caused an outfielder to have to run uphill. It was called "Duffy's Cliff" after left fielder Duffy Lewis. Fenway's right field is also notable, with "Pesky's Pole" (named for former Red Sox, Johnny Pesky) just 302 feet from home plate, but then the fence runs virtually straight away from home to 380 in deep right.

• Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) - The brick wall surrounding the outfield is covered with ivy, a perennial that leafs out in early-mid May and drops its leaves in early October. The rest of the year, the vines are bare. From time to time, a batted ball will become lodged in the vines, or even its bare branches, and become a ground-rule double. The park's close proximity to Lake Michigan affects the wind currents from day to day or even hour to hour. When the wind is blowing in, the park becomes a "pitcher's park" despite its cozy power alleys. When the wind is blowing out, it can be "Bombs Away!" The lack of a second deck in the outfield seating further lets Mother Nature have its way with the wind. It also allows residents of the flats across the streets to get relatively unobstructed views of the field, and some owners have even installed small grandstands on top of their buildings. Wrigley Field was the last MLB park to install field lights; the first night home game for the Cubs took place in 1988.

• Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees) - Yankee Stadium is famed for the "short porch" in right, which started out over 100 feet shorter than left, although changes over the years have made the difference less. Beyond the left field fences, between the bullpens is Monument Park, containing monuments and plaques honoring Yankee greats as well as others who have had an impact on the team or city. Before 1973, the three original monuments were in the field of play. Another distinguishing characteristic is the Facade, a series of archways that originally ran across the stadium's roof, and now tops the wall behind the outfield bleacher seats. The 4 train, which runs diagonally behind this wall, gets a peek in through a large gap.

• Dodgers Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers) - The view beyond the outfield is dominated by hills, and on one of these hills sits large block letters that spell out "THINK BLUE". There is also a large pillar sticking out beyond home plate atop the upper level seats, that bears the Dodgers logo. The setting sun reflects off those hills and can give the pitchers a distinct advantage, which the Dodgers have capitalized upon frequently.

• RFK Stadium (Washington Nationals) - While most multi-purpose stadiums were simple circular structures, RFK has a different feature, a wavy roof, the shape of which is also expressed by the upper-level stands and throughout the exterior. This is due to the upper deck conforming to a baseball layout rather than being a pure circle, resulting in stands of varying width instead of being uniformly wide.

• Shea Stadium (New York Mets) - The exterior is dominated by large neon baseball players. Shea is a perfect circle, with a section cut out with it. Originally, the circle was to be completed, but these plans were abandoned, and thus the area beyond the outfield fences is sparse, and gives the stadium a very open feel. In this area is a large scoreboard, topped with a silhouette of the New York City skyline, and a large top hat with an apple that pops out when a home run is hit by the Mets.

• Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - Beyond the left field fence is a rock outcropping with water running down the center of it. At the top is three logs forming an "A". The roof over the dugouts continues, connecting the two to form a dugout-level seating. The parking lot contains a large "A" with a halo, which once held the stadium's scoreboard. There are also two giant red caps at the front gate.

• McAfee Coliseum (Oakland Athletics) - McAfee Coliseum is absolutely dominated by a section of seating known as "Mount Davis". In order to lure the Raiders back to Oakland, seats needed to be added to satisfy owner Al Davis. Thus, the 6 floor seating area was added, blocking the view of the mountains beyond.

• Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals) - The stadium is noted for having the best hitters background in the American League and for having a 322-foot fountain, the largest privately-funded fountain in the world. Great Royal players such as Amos Otis, Frank White, Hal McRae, Bret Saberhagen, and George Brett gained fame as players playing in this ballpark.

• The Metrodome (Minnesota Twins) - In addition to the blue plastic screen in right, the Metrodome also has a giant inflated mockup of a Land O' Lakes gallon milk bottle just outside of the right field fence. The stadium also has speakers hanging from the roof which sometimes figure into play. Over the years the roof has become more and more soiled, and can be a nightmare for outfielders unused to it and trying to follow the flight of a batted ball. Designed with primarily football in mind, the result is a rectangular, rather an a square or oval, outfield.

• Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays)- The first retractable roof over a baseball stadium rests here, and it a unique system, where the whole thing folds into a smaller semicircle that still looms over the field. Under this sits glassed-in seating and one of the world's largest Jumbotron screens. The CN Tower stands tall right next to the park, which was built at its foot. The last of the "squared-circle" design that was similar to the since-abandoned Qualcomm Stadium and the since-demolished Veterans Stadium.

• U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox) - The old Comiskey Park was well known for what was known as the "Exploding Scoreboard". This scoreboard was reincarnated in the new park, although in a smaller version. Holding a huge video screen, the scoreboard features sound effects and fireworks that go off after wins and homeruns, and is topped by the iconic spinning pinwheels

• Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) - Camden Yards is the park that began the retro ballpark craze. Its green seats, its brick and steel finish, and its irregular grandstand configuration all harken back to the old days. Beyond the bleachers in left and left center is a wall of brick columns with black iron gates. Beyond that looms the large B&O warehouse, a very prominant feature of the park.

• Dolphins Stadium (Florida Marlins)- Designed for football, with modifications to allow a baseball field. Left field is necessarily cozy, neutralized somewhat by a 33 foot high fence across most, though not all, of left field. The fence is known as the "Teal Tower" and often knocks down potential home runs in the power alley.

• Jacobs Field (Cleveland Indians) - Cleveland has a 19-foot left field wall, known as "The Little Green Monster," complete with a digital scoreboard embedded in the wall, installed in 2004.

• Ameriquest Field in Arlington (Texas Rangers) - The exterior is a solid one of brick and features stone Texas longhorn (cattle) steer heads. The stadium is completely closed in, with offices walling in the space beyond the outfield. This can create a swirling wind effect that gives some hits a bit of lift they wouldn't get otherwise, and sending them out. Right-center field fence has an inward "jog", a feature of artificial quirkiness that several recent ballparks have included.

• Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) - While most stadiums' batter's eyes are dark colored walls or patches of grass, Coors Field takes the opportunity to feature a scene of Colorado nature. The area, which sits in front of a tall green wall, is a large rock outcropping with a few ponds and waterfalls, and a number of evergreen trees. Atop this "rockpile" is a standalone and very distant bleacher section.

• Turner Field (Atlanta Braves) - It started out as the stadium for the 1996 Olympics, and soon afterward was turned (as planned) into the new stadium for the Braves. The outline of the stands that once extended far beyond the outfield fences is expressed by a line of columns, the extra area forming the Grand Entry Plaza that welcomes many Braves fans.

• Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) - Tropicana Field is a field that has had it's share of criticisms. The major one is having to do with it's catwalks. Four catwalks encircle the dome's interior, with the two towards the infield being in play. And ball off of them can be caught for an out. The two towards the outfield are out of play, and, when hit, are either a home run or a foul ball, depending on where it hits in relation to the foul poles.

• Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks) - Due to the hot Phoenix weather, Chase is fully air conditioned. It is the only park in baseball to mix a retractable roof, air conditioning, and a grass playing field.

• Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners) - Like Miller, Safeco has a unique roof. While most retractable roofs form a complete enclosure, Safeco's forms more of an umbrella. The roof is supported by large steel structures that run on tracks, and these structures are very open, offering barely obscuring the view to the outside. The stadium is shielded from the rain, but is still very open.

• AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants) - An arm of San Francisco Bay is just outside of the right field fence. The area is called McCovey Cove (named for former Giants slugger Willie McCovey), and is often filled with boaters hoping to catch baseballs hit out of the park (a baseball will float in the water initially), just as fans used to empty the right field bleachers at Candlestick Park and gather on the flat ground when McCovey would come to bat. The right field line is rather close, and although the wall angles away sharply, a "jog" in right-center neutralizes that angle somewhat. There is a special scoreboard near the right field wall that counts how many fair balls have been hit into the bay during game play by the San Francisco Giants (called "Splash Hits"). Many of those have been hit by Barry Bonds, the lefthanded slugger whose presence strongly influenced the design of the ballpark, as legend says Yankee Stadium's short porch was for Ruth.

• Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) - Two brick walls flank the batter's eye, the names of those important to the organization and the Tigers' retired numbers painted in white on them. Above the left field wall, Comerica has its own monument park filled with large statues to the Tiger greats. Over the left field stands, one can see Ford Field looming, which was built in the same project as the park. The scoreboard is topped by two large tigers, and when a homerun is hit, their eyes light up and the sound of a tiger growl is played over the speakers. Beyond the outfield is a great view of downtown Detroit, including the Wyland Whale mural, although this was covered with a Verizon ad during the 2006 postseason. The problem with this is that downtown is south of the stadium, and therefore gives the majority of the spectators and the batter an eyeful of sunlight as the sun sets. The park started its life with an extremely deep left-center field, but the fences have since been changed, parhaps having something to do with the sudden change in the teams fortune in 2006.

• Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) - A train filled with giant oranges runs forward and back along the left outfield when home runs are hit. Also, center field features an uphill incline much like old Crosley Field in Cincinnati and the former Duffy's Cliff at Fenway Park in Boston except that it was created as a decoration as opposed to being required due to the grade of the land. It is the only park in major league baseball with a flagpole in play, another purely decorative feature borrowed from the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit. First baseman Richie Sexson, then of the Milwaukee Brewers is the only player to have hit the flagpole during a game. Its cozy dimensions, especially in left field, have led to its being called the "Juice Box". The Astros have been competitive in the early years of the ballpark, and the stadium fans can be very noisy when the roof is closed.

• Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) - In the left field corner houses "Bernie's Dugout", which is the home of the Brewers mascot, Bernie Brewer. At the beginning of the game, after every Brewers home run, and if the Brewers win, fireworks go off and Bernie slides down his slide. He also hangs "K"s to signify strikeouts. In 2006, a picnic area was added in right field. The retractable roof is unique in that it folds and unfolds like a fan, from a single pivot point, rather than sliding in parallel sections as most do. The arc-shaped trusses needed to support this roof make the ballpark nearly twice as high as it would be without a roof, dominating its surroundings.

• PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) - The park was built on the Allegheny River, and it's low walls behind the outfield seats allow an amazing view of the river, and skyline of downtown Pittsburgh that rests on the other side.

• Great American Ballpark (Cincinatti Reds) - Sitting on the Ohio River, the park has the same relationship to the water that AT&T and PNC have. Beyond the right-center fence sits two large steamboat smokestacks that belch smoke, flash lights, and shoot fireworks to incite the crowd or celebrate an act of the home team. The most prominant feature is a large gap in the grandstand. As the outfield is towards the river, and away from downtown Cincinatti, there is a large gap in the grandstands that allow a view out to the city from the park, and vice-versa. To one side of the gap, there are three seating levels, and on the other, there are two.

• Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies) - Citizens Bank Park has a giant Liberty Bell that lights up and rings as it moves from side to side. Outfield fence has a "jog" similar to the Arlington stadium, except it's in left-center.

• PETCO Park (San Diego Padres) - A challenging factor in the design of this stadium was the presence of a historic structure, the Western Metal Supply Company Building, on the proposed ballpark site. Instead of being demolished, the building was integrated into the stadium. In fact, its southeast corner serves as the left field foul pole.

• Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals) - The stadium is very open, allowing a great view of St. Louis, including its iconic arch. The old manual scoreboards that showed the scores around the league, were installed up on the walls of the inside concourse, still in the same configuration they were in the day the Cardinals played their last game in the old stadium.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball stadiums
• List of Jewel Box Parks